Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fagales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Betula papyrifera
FAMILY
Betulaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Canoe Birch at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
The question of the appropriate treatment of B. cordifolia and B. papyrifera is difficult (and still controversial), per Weakley's Flora (2022)
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Betula papyrifera var. papyrifera
FAMILY
Betulaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Betula papyrifera
COMMON NAME:
Canoe Birch, Paper Birch
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Trees You Want to Know (Peattie, 1934); illustration by F.A. Michaux dcp34_p23a
)
Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905) mtna_i_244
)
JK Marlow jkm090923_058
September Hancock County ME
Bark chalky white and exfoliating, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
JK Marlow jkm090924_009
September Hancock County ME
Acadia National Park
Leaves tend to be tapered to rounded at the base, twigs slightly pubescent, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Betula papyrifera
FAMILY
Betulaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Betula papyrifera var. papyrifera
FAMILY
Betulaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Betula papyrifera
3531
Tree
Perennial
Monoecious
Habitat: Dry soils, in VA especially on quartzite on the western flank of the Blue Ridge, and on sandstone talus in the Ridge and Valley, per Weakley's Flora
Native: north of the Carolinas
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Staminate calyx minute, pistillate calyx absent
Inferior ovary
Unisexual
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Samara
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Identifying Trees: An All-Season Guide to Eastern North America (Williams, 2007) p162
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007) p093?
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p078
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".